CHINA-US: PEW PUBLIC PERCEPTION
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According to a survey by the Pew Research Center released on July 15, perceptions of Americans of China continued to slightly lose ground in the past year. China’s favorable rating slipped from 37 percent to 35 percent, showing a deepening skepticism in the United States toward the country. The figures showed that more than two-thirds of Americans surveyed said they feared that territorial disputes between China and its neighbors — Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines — could lead to conflict. This year’s Pew survey covered 48,643 people over the age of 18 were interviewed in 44 countries from March 17 to June 5.
Among the findings a median of 49 percent across 43 nations expressed a favorable opinion of China, while 32 percent offered an unfavorable opinion. Unfavorable ratings of China among Americans were more common among Republicans (65 percent) than among Democrats (53 percent) or independents (51 percent), while Asia generally views China’s economic growth favorably. “The prevailing view is that Chinese growth helps others in the region,” the survey said, with majorities in Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, South Korea and Indonesia saying China’s economic expansion benefited their own country. Even in Japan, where overall ratings for China, its traditional rival, are in the single digits, 47 percent believe that China’s economic growth is beneficial.
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